1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing method and a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus capable of improving yield rate in manufacturing semiconductor devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
A method of forming a plating electrode on a wafer is described in Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 2005-5462 (Patent Document 1), for example. The plating electrode forming method of Patent Document 1 is schematically illustrated in FIG. 1. First, a conductive layer 110 and a negative photoresist 120 are formed in this order on an entire surface of a wafer 100, and then a light blocking part 130 is formed on the negative photoresist 120 near an outer edge of the wafer 100. Next, the negative photoresist 120 is exposed to light through a reticle pattern in which a predetermined pattern is formed. Finally, the light blocking part 130 is removed and then a developing process is performed. Thus, a desired pattern according to the reticle pattern is formed in the negative photoresist 120, and a desired plating electrode is formed by exposing a part of the conductive layer 110 which is disposed under a position where the light blocking part 130 on the negative photoresist was formed.
In the invention described in the Patent Document 1, the light blocking part 130 is formed by ink printing on the negative photoresist 120 disposed on the outer edge of the wafer 100, as described above. However, in this configuration, when the negative photoresist 120 is exposed to exposure light, the exposure light may reach an undesirable position of the negative photoresist 120 which is covered by the light blocking part 130, through a side surface of the negative photoresist 120. Since the negative photoresist has characteristics that a part illuminated with the exposure light becomes insoluble or hardly soluble in a developer, it is difficult to make the conductive layer 110 be exposed according to an intended pattern after the negative photoresist 120 was developed and therefore it is difficult to form a desired plating electrode.
As well as in the plating electrode forming method, in a semiconductor device manufacturing method including a process of forming a light blocking part for preventing a negative photoresist disposed on a conductive layer near an outer edge of a wafer from being illuminated with exposure light, when a predetermined pattern is formed by exposing to light and developing the negative photoresist disposed on the conductive layer near the outer edge of the wafer, there is a problem that the exposure light undesirably reaches a part of the negative photoresist from the side surface of the negative photoresist 120.